MTH Electric Trains HO Erie Triplex

MTH Electric Trains HO Erie Triplex

MTH Electric Trains HO Erie Triplex One of the more unusual prototypes to grace North American rails is now available to HO modelers. The 2-8-8-8-2 Triplex is the second HO scale offering from MTH Electric Trains. An accurate replica of the prototype, the model operates with realistic sound in DC, Digital Command Control (DCC), and […]

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MTH Premier line O gauge USRA 0-6-0 steam switcher

THE SUBJECT OF our attention today is a little steamer that helped us beat the Kaiser and soldiered on through the end of the steam era, providing commendable service to the railroads that operated it: the USRA 0-6-0 steam switcher. America entered World War I in April 1917. In December of that year the U.S. […]

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MTH RailKing O gauge 2-8-0 starter set

EVEN CONSIDERING THE fact that most kids (and adults) have never gotten closer to a steam locomotive than, say, an episode of Petticoat Junction, a steam-powered starter set is tough to beat. The visual elements of moving side rods and puffing smoke, combined with the gift-giving mood around the holidays, make a steam-engine starter set […]

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MTH O gauge Coors Silver Bullet

WHEN I SAW a Coors Silver Bullet commercial in 2004, I said, “Cool.” When I saw MTH’s announcement that it was making an O gauge model of the Coors Silver Bullet, I said, “Cool, but they’ll never really make that.” When I opened the shipping carton, I said, “Cool, look at all that crazy chrome!” […]

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MTH O gauge Leland-Detroit monorail

THIS “RETROVILLE” MONORAIL from MTH is a hoot. It had me recalling an old TV show where a character from the past ends up in the 21st century. He exclaims, “Where are the flying cars? We were promised flying cars!” Well, we were also promised jet backpacks, robot maids, and, of course, monorails. Seven years […]

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MTH Premier line O gauge 4-6-6-4 Challenger

TO ACCURATELY DESCRIBE the steam-era classic 4-6-6-4 Challenger, you’d have to use words right out of a luxury car ad: powerful, fast, sleek, and big. Conceived as a fast companion to the Union Pacific’s mighty 4-8-8-4 Big Boy, the Challenger was a heavy-hauling speed demon. Its success can be measured in numbers: 252 were built […]

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MTH RailKing O gauge Baldwin VO-1000 diesel

YEARS AGO, before joining CLASSIC TOY TRAINS magazine, I was an Air Force transportation officer. I found myself on a staff-assistance visit to Hill Air Force Base, Utah, and stumbled upon a weed-choked rail yard full of diesels in varying shades of faded Air Force blue. Baldwins, Whitcombs, Plymouths, Alcos, you name it. There they […]

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MTH Premier line O gauge SD70ACe diesel

ONE OF THE Goliaths of modern railroading is the Electro-Motive SD70ACe, and it is far more than a tweak of the popular SD70. Electro-Motive designers re-worked its 16-cylinder prime mover to be more fuel-efficient and to meet tougher environmental emissions requirements. Improvments were made in just about every aspect: from crewmember ergonomics to ease of […]

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MTH RailKing O gauge Baldwin AS-616

WHILE THUMBING THROUGH the ads in CLASSIC TOY TRAINS, I discovered a diesel that I’d missed when it originally came out: MTH’s version of the Baldwin AS-616 road switcher. Why? For me, the Pennsy is a secondary road name. But when I saw it offered at a bargain price, I reached for my wallet. The […]

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MTH RailKing O gauge Crusader

I’VE OFTEN THOUGHT that the Reading Company’s presence in popular culture – and in model railroading – was far greater than its actual importance as a railroad. Nonetheless, the Reading, a two-and-a-half-state regional carrier gone now for three decades, continues to attract a fan base so enthusiastic that you’d expect the line was still running. […]

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MTH Premier line O gauge A5-class switcher

THE DIMINUTIVE A5-class 0-4-0 switcher will never be first in line when thinking about the stellar locomotives of the great Pennsylvania Railroad. But from the look of this steamer, its lineage to the Standard Railroad of the World is plainly evident. It has closely positioned domes, a Belpaire firebox, a headlight square above the number […]

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